2011 i5 Build.

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chicago312

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
174
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
PC gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
< $1500
3) Where do you live?
Chicago area
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU RAM GPU MEM HDD SDD CASE PWR.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model. Monitor Panasonic TC-L32U22 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV KB/Mouse G35 USBheadset
6) Will you be overclocking? some not extreme
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
32"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Basic
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes win7 64

link to my wish list
 
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chicago312 said:
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
PC gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
< $1500
3) Where do you live?
Chicago area
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU RAM GPU MEM HDD SDD CASE PWR.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model. Monitor Panasonic TC-L32U22 32-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV KB/Mouse G35 USBheadset
6) Will you be overclocking? some not extreme
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
32"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Basic
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes win7 64

link to my wish list
Click to expand...

Did you know that there are two Micro Center stores in the Chicagoland area - within (reasonable) commuting distance? If so, buy the CPU over there since Newegg charges more money for the plain i5-2500 (non-K) than what MC charges for the i5-2500K, even after sales tax at MC and bus or train fares to and from MC.

Second, there is no overclocking capability whatsoever on that P8H67M-LE or any other H67 motherboard. In fact, the BCLK is more or less fixed at stock on all LGA 1155 CPUs (or more specifically, the LGA 1155 platform does not like its BCLK raised by more than 3 or 4 MHz) while all H67 mobos "permanently" lock the maximum multipliers to stock. At present, if you want to overclock even slightly, you'll have to get a P67 motherboard.

Third, althought the PSU you chose is good, it costs a bit too much for such a moderate-wattage PSU, especially since you can get an Antec TruePower New 650W that's of equal quality for $40 less (and you'd still have a hybrid, or partially modular, PSU at that lower $80 price).

Finally, you chose a slim optical drive. Although the case that you chose has a slot for that slim optical drive, the drive itself is a piss-poor value, even if it's a DVD burner with Blu-ray read capability since the write speed on DVD is limited to only 8x maximum for single-layer DVD and 4x maximum for RW and DL media.
 
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good think I posted here!

what P67 should I be looking at ?

OK I update the PSU to the Antec

thanks
 
What are you using the BD-ROM drive for? You can find a nice DVD burner at Micro Center for under $30.

In fact, if you were to follow E4g1e's advice, you should grab the processor, motherboard, hard drive, and optical drive from MC. (Depending on the in-store specials, you may also be able to grab a decent case from there.) If you stick with the Core i5-2500k, you should also grab a P67 motherboard and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU cooler (which is often available at MC for around $30).

EDIT: I believe that you should grab the following from Micro Center:

Intel Core i5-2500k
MSI P67A-GD65
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
LG GH22NS50 SATA DVD burner
Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX mid-tower case
 
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tiraides said:
What are you using the BD-ROM drive for? You can find a nice DVD burner at Micro Center for under $30.

In fact, if you were to follow E4g1e's advice, you should grab the processor, motherboard, hard drive, and optical drive from MC. (Depending on the in-store specials, you may also be able to grab a decent case from there.) If you stick with the Core i5-2500k, you should also grab a P67 motherboard and the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus CPU cooler (which is often available at MC for around $30).
Click to expand...

I did not include the hard drive in my above post because the 1TB Samsung F3 (as purchased at MC) would have cost almost $1 more (with tax) than it currently costs at Newegg.
 
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My question regarding the BD-ROM was more towards whether or not the OP was going to play or rip Blu-ray discs from it; since he's looking at an OEM drive, he would probably have to buy some media playback software for it.
 
tiraides said:
My question regarding the BD-ROM was more towards whether or not the OP was going to play or rip Blu-ray discs from it; since he's looking at an OEM drive, he would probably have to buy some media playback software for it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification on the question.

And that Silverstone case in the OP's Newegg wish list is of good quality, it still costs significantly more than what I would spend on a microATX case. In fact, I would have limited the budget on an mATX case to about $60 maximum.
 
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Right now, there is only one "good" P67 mATX board: the Asus P8P67-M Pro. (NewEgg has it for less than MC.)

And all of the mATX cases that I would recommend have better prices online. (That, and I'm somewhat against Silverstone's mATX cases given the troubles that I've had with them in the past. Then again, maybe I should give up and go back to regular ATX boards and cases... nah....)
 
OK so looks like a ride to MC is going to happen

Not sure I want that case tiraides, kinda like the SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT03B is it worth it? not sure.

As for the BD-ROM willl use it to watch HD movies.
 
chicago312 said:
OK so looks like a ride to MC is going to happen

Not sure I want that case tiraides, kinda like the SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT03B is it worth it? not sure.

As for the BD-ROM willl use it to watch HD movies.
Click to expand...

At such a high price, why would you want to restrict yourself to mATX motherboards?

And as I stated earlier, you will have to spend another $80 in addition to the BD drive just for the player software. Windows Media Player by itself cannot play Blu-ray discs at all.
 
all good points!

lets can the BD-ROM

I do not have to go mATX I just what some thing low profile.
 
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chicago312 said:
some thing small that will fit a full sizes GPU card.
Click to expand...

Thats pretty much mATX. Or to a lesser extent, mITX. Though check out the Lian Li A05NB case: Pretty much one of the smallest ATX cases out there.

Now the issue is the cost of that mATX case that you chose: While there have been plenty of other mATX cases that costs just as much as ATX cases, this is one of the few situations where the price of the mATX case is way too high compared to other ATX cases in that price range.
 
OK I update the wish list to reflect some of the changes recommend here.

should I also go with a ATX build?
 
chicago312 said:
should I also go with a ATX build?
Click to expand...

Really up to you dude. Is that Lian Li case small enough for you? If not, then ATX is not for you. Aim for mATX or even mITX.

If you're going for mATX or that Lian Li case, then I highly recommend getting a modular PSU:
$90 - XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W Modular PSU

And you do know that you won't be able to OC AT ALL with that CPU and motherboard right?
 
OK made some change to the list.

changed the case and SSD

also I did the same build on newegg and Microcenter, the taxes killed it on MC.

look like Newegg for me
 
You need to decide whether or not you're sticking with microATX. You have a microATX board but you're also considering a full ATX (mid-tower) case. If you want to keep the HAF 912 case, then you need to consider a full ATX P67 motherboard; but if you're sticking with the P8P67-M Pro, then you need to look at a few more microATX cases. (In the case of the latter, your choice of a case may limit you as to which CPU cooler you can use. Or, in other words, some mATX cases can't handle the Hyper 212 Plus.)
 
I am sticking mATX.
I real like the SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT03B. will this all fit in that case?

Any how, I have to head out for the week should be back on Friday. I guess I will finalize the order then.
 
chicago312 said:
I am sticking mATX.
I real like the SILVERSTONE Fortress Series FT03B. will this all fit in that case?

Any how, I have to head out for the week should be back on Friday. I guess I will finalize the order then.
Click to expand...

It'll fit but it's still a poor choice IMO. It's $190 shipped. That's just too much for a mATX case considering that higher-quality and better cooling ATX cases can be found for around that price point. Not to mention that it's actually taller than the Coolermaster HAF-912 case that you have in your list right now.
 
I would get an ATX board because they're cheaper with the features you listed in your original post.

For a basic board consider the MSI P67A-C43 at Newegg for $120. Also see the ECS board below.

For something with Crossfire support consider the MSI P67A-G43 for $135.
Or the Biostar TP67B+ for $130 (I like the MSI more because it supports x8/x8 Crossfire instead of x16/x4.)
I'm intrigued by the ECS P67H2-A3 for $100. It's a Crossfire board with x16/x4 support with fairly decent reviews, though it is a limited sample size. I feel more comfortable mentioning the MSI and Biostar boards, but I've had my eye on this ECS board for awhile (I was actually going to buy it for my personal system but it was out of stock at the time.)

If you want Crossfire and Firewire get the MSI P67A-G45 for $140.

If you want Crossfire, Firewire, and eSATA get the Biostar TP67XE for $140.

All of these are cheaper than the $150 Asus P8P67-M Pro while meeting the requirements of your original post. Most of the boards match the P8P67-M Pro, but the Asus does have eSATA whereas most of the above do not.
 
That's a good lookin combo. If you don't need Firewire or integrated Bluetooth you can get this combo for $10 less. (I'd get the P8P67 if it were my system because I prefer to have Firewire, and the Bluetooth would be a nice bonus.)
 
Ok I ordered
will pick up CPU at MC.

Order Summary. Qty Product Description Price
1 DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #631880 -$25.00

Shipping from CA, USA
. 1 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel ...
Item #: N82E16835103065
Standard Return Policy $34.99

1 LG DVD±RW SuperMulti Drive Black SATA Model GH22NS50 Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136216
Standard Return Policy $18.99

. 1 ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813131705
Standard Return Policy $154.99

. 1 CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B
Item #: N82E16820145345
Memory Standard Return Policy $74.99

. 1 XFX P1-650X-CAH9 650W ATX12V v2.2 / ESP12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power ...
Item #: N82E16817207007
Standard Return Policy $88.99

. 1 Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820148348
Limited Replacement Only Return Policy $254.99

. 1 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152185
Standard Return Policy $64.99

. 1 XFX HD-695X-CNFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #: N82E16814150530
VGA Standard Return Policy $274.99

Shipping from NJ, USA
. 1 COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811119233
Standard Return Policy $59.99

Subtotal $1,002.91
 
How did you ger that $75 price on those particular Corsair Vengeance modules?

Oh, I get it: You must have bought those modules with something else in that list that made it qualify for a combo discount. Normally, the Vengeance kit is not $75 - but is actually $101 instead. The combo discount made the entire build $5 to $7 less expensive than if you bought 8GB worth of 4GB DDR3-1333 G.SKILL modules that Danny recommended.
 
E4g1e said:
How did you ger that $75 price on those particular Corsair Vengeance modules?
Click to expand...

Those RAM sets were part of a Shell Shocker Deal yesterday. They were indeed $75 yesterday without rebate or any combo deal.
 
Danny Bui said:
Those RAM sets were part of a Shell Shocker Deal yesterday. They were indeed $75 yesterday without rebate or any combo deal.
Click to expand...

I understand that now. ;) Without the discount, it is somewhat pricey even for DDR3-1600 CL9 RAM.
 
Thank you all for the input!

I am very happy with my new build.

IMAG0065.jpg

IMAG0067.jpg

IMAG0068.jpg
 
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